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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

There is a lot of information and talk these days on agile development, so I am not going to bore you with agile software development principals.

But one thing I hear a lot is that most (if not everyone) in agile environment thinks that there is no need for a BA. Well I am going to be up in their face and say "Mate you are wrong”, there is more need for an experienced BA than ever and I will try to explain why.

Most of the agile project (if not all) gets disconnected from the business stakeholder over its development course and BA forms a very important link to ensure this does not happen.

Since Agile development is very organic and does change its shape and form, BA has to be constantly on their toes to make sure all the changes are well document, discussed and agreed. Since BA has tremendous business knowledge they are in better position to evaluate every option in terms of their business benefit for the business users and in the best interest of the stakeholders.Some of the questions you can expect from a BA are

What about this, have you thought of another option?

Why this option?

Do we really need this option?

How does this change the user experience?

What is the advantage of this option to business users?

BA will also ensure the team is solving a business problem, keep them aligned with stakeholder's goals, with that thought I will take your leave ... see you next time.

About Me

Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) from IIBA with over 15 years of ICT experience in a variety of industries including; Health, HCM/HR, ERP, e-Commerce and Graphic Arts. Experience in Agile environment with proven record for improving productivity, implementing process improvements, requirements planning, requirements documenting, integrating systems and reducing operational costs.